Page 5 of The Iron Highlander
“Where are ye from?” Reuben asked, his voice thundering and causing Lily to jump. He stared at her with glaring eyes, not showing any weakness.
The woman who had spoken got between him and Lily and his gaze fixated on her. Reuben stared into her large brown eyes andfound himself lost in them. She had a fierce gaze to them, and that seemed to pull him in even more.
Her lips were full and a dull pink, and her cheekbones high on her face. As the wind swept her black hair, Reuben felt himself smitten. He had seen several girls in the town, and a number of them had been vying for his attention. But this traveler had caught his eye. He quickly blinked away and shook his head, not allowing himself to get distracted. He had to appear strong, as there was a chance that they were spies sent by their enemies.
“Reuben, ye cannae be askin’ them like that!” his mother turned back to the women. “However, Katherine we must know where ye are from.”
Katherine let out a breath and turned back to Freya who nodded. “I am Katherine McGowan, of the McGowan estate, and these are my siblings of the same household.”
Reuben reached for his sword, baring his teeth. “We would never allow our enemies into our own home, especially not from that clan. Turn back now, and I and my men will spare ye the mercy of killing ye.”
“Put yer sword away!” Katherine raised her voice, startling Reuben. Hudson exchanged glances with his Laird, not sure what to do.
“Yer goin’ have to explain yerselves,” said Grear. “Much as we won’t turn travelers away, if yer spies or enemies, we cannae let ye in here.”
“We aren’t spies, my Lady. We aren’t. We are the nieces of the Laird Max Sweeney, and we had to run away from him,” said Katherine.
“Why?” Lady Grear asked, turning to Hudson and her son. “Put yer swords away! They are nae armed.”
“We were attacked by him, he asked of me somethin’ which I could nae give, and I told him I wouldnae and he sent his men after me and my sisters.”
Lady Grear stared at Kate and understood. “In all of my time, I always knew that Sweeney was no good. Hudson, take them to the halls and have my servant take them to the guest chambers.”
“Aye.” Hudson turned to the women. “Come with me.”
“I daenae trust them,” said Reuben.
“Society rules that ye offer, if ye can, shelter to those who ask for it. I have told ye nothing but the truth, and I wish that ye honor it.” Kate turned around to her sisters. “If ye decide against, then fine. We’ll go somewhere else.”
They turned to leave and Lady Grear’s eyes went wide. Reuben watched in shock, trying to make sense of how the woman had just spoken to him. He was a Laird, and every woman who had ever spoken to him had done so in a courteous manner. Almost as though they were scared of hurting him with their words. But with this woman, she did not seem to care. He almost suspectedthat she disliked him, but they had just met, and she already had an opinion of him. As he looked closer, he saw that they were not just mere women, but ladies of high class, who had come directly from the court of McGowan.
There was always a chance that they were spies, but everyone knew of the madness which befell Max Sweeney. Everyone knew how he would go from a wise sensible man to an angered beast in a matter of moments. Reuben understood why they would not want anything to do with the man.
“Fine, wait. I hope ye understand that I was just looking out for my people. I just needed to make sure I could trust ye, before I brought ye into my home. Ye are highly welcomed. Hudson, please. Carry on.”
Kate scoffed and Reuben glared at her. She seemed to have a feisty nature about her, and this was something that he found absolutely stunning. Maybe it was the fact that she did not know who he was, but even now, she would be aware that he was the Laird of the castle, so why did she show such disdain instead of desire to gain his approval? Reuben had been so used to seeing women grovel for him. He watched as the women were walked all the way to the halls, and from there, they were led by a servant.
“Ye ken I never saw ye like this,” said Hudson as he walked back to Reuben. “Looks like she’s going to be trouble, yeah?”
“Nay, she’s a wee lassie, shouldnae be much to handle. My concern is with who sent her. If she was sent by Max, who knows what the little rodent wants with us.”
Hudson nodded. Max had been gunning for their estate for a long time. He was not a fool to make a jarring move like coming right for them with his servants, as he and his men were terrified of Reuben and his forces.
“Whatever happens, we keep a close eye on them, alright?” said Reuben. “And make sure we have men watching out dusk til dawn. If I know anythin’, and I do, it’s that Max is going to come for his girls, so be ready.”
“Yer thinkin’ bout going to war with the bampot?” Hudson asked, looking at his sword. “Been a while since we showed our highland spirits, why wait for him to come all the way here?”
Reuben turned to a window up in the castle and spotted his mother looking down at him. “Ye ken why Hudson, I’ll see ye soon.”
From the look on his mother’s face, he could tell that she had made up her mind, and when Grear made up her mind, there was no one who could get in her way, especially not him. He rushed back to the stairs and listened to the sound of the chatter coming from their new visitors. From where they had been placed, Reuben realized that they would be an entire flight above them, and if his mother listened carefully enough, she would be able to hear them from her room above.
“Mother, I’m here.” Reuben called out as he stepped into the room.
“Aye,” came Grear, “Have ye checked on the sheep in the barn?”
“Aye, Ma, I have.” Reuben replied.
Grear nodded and walked up to the window to stare out to the world outside. Reuben knew what was coming and folded his arms. She cleared her throat, “Ye know why I ask ye to check on the sheep when ye wake and when ye head back to bed?”
